A silver halide photographic light-sensitive material (hereinafter sometimes referred to a light-sensitive material) is photographically processed through a development step, a bleaching step, a washing step and a stabilization step after being exposed. The photographic processing is ordinarily conducted automatically passing a light-sensitive material through a processing tank containing a processing solution corresponding to the above step and a dryer in an automatic processing machine. On such occasions, a method of replenishing a replenisher prepared in advance is commonly used wherein the processing solution in the processing tank is controlled so that the activity thereof is kept constant. The processing agent for a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material (hereinafter sometimes referred to the processing agent) is marketed in the form of powder or concentrated solution and is dissolved in a specific amount of water to use it. However, such a dissolving operation is often required many times a day and has a danger that the solution is splashed around to pollute the operation space and adheres to an operator's skin.
In order to solve such a problem, a method of directly supplying a solidified processing tablet in the processing tank is disclosed in Japanese Patent O.P.I. Publication No. 5-119454/1993.
Japanese Patent O.P.I. Publication Nos. 4-172341/1992, 5-142714/1993 and 5-204098/1993 disclose a method of covering a surface of processing tablets with a water-soluble polymer.
However, the binding ability of materials used in the processing agent is poor, and the use of the conventional technique disclosed so far cannot give processing agents having a strong binding ability between the materials therein. When the agent is handled, it is broken and causes a loose powder, resulting in various inconveniences in environmental problems and handling and qualitative properties. The processing agent is not always stored in a place where temperature or humidity is well controlled, but is sometimes exposed to a high temperature or humidity. It has been found that when the processing agent is stored in such a circumstance, its deteriorating in quality due to high temperature or its expansion due to heat or moisture adsorption occurs and the normal function thereof cannot be effected. The inventors have tried to prevent the deteriorating or expansion during storage in such a circumstance by adding a preservative or increasing the adding amount, but the object cannot be sufficiently attained.